Eagle refers to large diurnal birds of prey from the order Falconiformes, family Accipitridae, and characterized by resemblance to vultures when in flight, but bearing fully-feathered heads and powerful talons capable of taking and killing live prey. Because of their strength and majestic appearance, eagles have been prominently displayed as heraldic symbols of war and earthly power.

Description

Eagles are found throughout the world, from the cold waters of the Arctic north to the tropical rain forests of Africa, Asia, and South America. They are monogamous, mating for life, and using the same nest every year, which is placed in an inaccessible site (called an eyrie), such as the top of a tree or a cliff face. The clutch of three to four eggs take six to eight weeks to hatch, but when hatched the young mature slowly, putting on their adult plumage in three to four years.

Eagles are typically two to three feet long and have wingspans from six to eight feet. The smallest eagle, Ayres' Hawk-eagle, (Hieraaetus ayresii), is only 16 inches long, while the largest eagles, the Harpy (Harpia harpyja), Steller's sea-eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus), and the Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) each approach 39 inches in length and weigh close to sixteen pounds. All eagles have keen eyesight; experiments conducted on golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) have determined that they are able to discern, identify, and successfully kill an animal as small as a rabbit from a minimum distance of a quarter-mile away.

Use as symbols

Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) featured in an Aztec legend, now the current arms of Mexico

Eagles have been used as symbolds of government and imperial power since at least the time of the Babylonians. In stylized form they have been placed atop the standards of ancient Persia and Imperial Rome. A two-headed eagle was used as a coat of arms for the Byzantine Empire, than later as the standard for Czarist Russia and the Hapsburg Austrian Empire. An Aztec legend of an eagle clutching a snake while sitting on a cactus led to the founding of the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, and later became the coat of arms for Mexico. The United States adopted the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) as its national emblem.